A lot of that has to do with how long it was exposed to ambient tempreature after being killed. If it was exposed to warm temps for several hours before freezing, it won't last as long as if it were not exposed very long. Decomp starts right away. If you give it a head start, it just takes off again as soon as it thaws out. If processed quickly, it should last a couple of days. Sniff it, you'll know bad meat when you get a whiff of it.

It also depends on how long it was allowed to "hang" before being processed. What kind of cut it is or if it is ground makes a difference also. If it's ground and has had pork added, it goes fast. Otherwise it's not much diferent than the meat you buy in the store.

That gets more to the point.
What I was wondering was does store processed meat last longer? This particular Buck was shot at dusk, field stripped immediately, and hung to bleed out over night in the low 30's where it partially froze. After we proccessed it we iced the meat and refrigerated it for about 24 more hours before freezing. As I have never prepared it myself before I was just wondering out loud. I know it smells a little different but rank is rank right? It is ground too.

back on topic! i think it would last about 1.5-2.5 days just sitting the fridge. ive noticed sometimes my elk steak starts to turn a little green and funky tasting after stored for more than 3 days AFTER i cook it.
YMMV

Should stay edible for a couple days raw. If you're worried abou tit going bad but not wanting to eat it right away, cook it,put it in a sealable container and put it back in the fridge. Will last a bit longer after cooked.

Don't know about deer, but I regularly stock the bottom shelf of the fridge with various moose parts (including ground) on sunday and use that as food stock for the week. I figure most of it is thawed by weds or so.

Everything is vacuum sealed, might make a difference.

As others say, use your nose. Ground meat always smells a little funky to me, but sniff a bad bit and you'll immediately know the difference.

Hold on there partner!! Don't hang your guns up quite yet. Still early yet in the evening. Let us know how your feeling tomorrow. If you start to cramp up a little around midnight it ain't the flu your coming down with. _

By the way meat of any kind. Processed or raw. Warm or refrigerated. Ever feels sticky to the touch. > Pitch it!! <

Botulism or E. coli infections can indeed hospitalize one. Worse yet they can damage other human organs as well. (liver)

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